iPad Ellis Revisited

One of the many fringe events I attended at Labour Conference this year was 'Deeper Democracy: Can Parties Reconnect People and Politics?' Hosted by The Fabians, it presented some polling evidence from YouGov's Mr Public, Peter Kellner, on the anatomy of the 16m registered voters who don't vote. This is variously comprised of people who aren't interested, are seriously alienated from politics, or couldn't cast a vote because of long-term health issues or has just moved house. Approximately seven million people, however, had voted previously no longer bothered. 50% of this group didn't because of political reasons: disillusionment, identikit candidates, MPs expenses, and so it goes. One thing that turned this group of people off was the lack of straight talking, and faux passion or anger.

It was the memory of the latter point that immediately came to mind this evening when I cranked up Twitter and found these awaiting me:

@philbc3 What an insulting, personal & desperate piece you write. As someone who was hurt stopping an armed robbery I know about crime!!
— Matthew Ellis (@MatthewEllis) October 29, 2012

@philbc3 And I was burgled & lost irreplaceable memories of my father. I know about crime! You again drag politics down to personal attacks
— Matthew Ellis (@MatthewEllis) October 29, 2012

philbce Shame on you & your vile writing! I wasn't born with a silver spoon I worked hard & was nearly put out of business by crime early on
— Matthew Ellis (@MatthewEllis) October 29, 2012

"Shame on you & your vile writing!" Brilliant.

While I'm sorry to hear Cllr Ellis lost some irreplaceable memories because of a crime committed against him, here you have an almost text book example of someone evading a point and using outrage to cover a refusal to respond. Perhaps Cllr Ellis would like to compare the ratio of words expended in the previous post suggesting his affluent lifestyle might have something to do with his being out of touch, to those that give his platform and record a political going over. I'm sure readers are capable of making up their own minds concerning the personalist tone or otherwise of the piece.

That said, this twitterly episode demonstrates how thin-skinned he is. If a seldom-read blogger from the backstreets of Stoke-on-Trent can show him up, what happens when bigger media beasts than I get their claws into him over the inevitable iPad and privatisation cock ups? Hopefully we'll never get to find out and the people of Staffordshire elect Joy Garner on November 15th for her sensible policing plan.